sion, and Justice. The Church’s ministry of service is a primary
representation of God’s love. Those who respond to God’s call
to lead in service, word, compassion, and justice and equip others for this ministry through teaching, proclamation, and worship
and who assist elders in the administration of the sacraments are
ordained as deacons. Those whose leadership in service includes
preaching and teaching the Word of God, administration of the
sacraments, ordering the Church for its mission and service, and
administration of the discipline of the Church are ordained as
elders.
3. Ordained persons exercise their ministry in covenant with
all Christians, especially with those whom they lead and serve in
ministry. They also live in covenant of mutual care and accountability with all those who share their ordination, especially in The
United Methodist Church, with the ordained who are members of
the same annual conference and part of the same Order. The covenant of ordained ministry is a lifetime commitment, and those
who enter into it dedicate their whole lives to the personal and
spiritual disciplines it requires.
4. The effectiveness of the Church in mission depends on these
covenantal commitments to the ministry of all Christians and the
ordained ministry of the Church. Through ordination and through
other offices of pastoral leadership, the Church provides for the
continuation of Christ’s ministry, which has been committed to
the church as a whole. Without creative use of the diverse gifts
of the entire body of Christ, the ministry of the church is less
effective. Without responsible leadership, the focus, direction, and
continuity of that ministry is diminished. It is out of the faith and
witness of the congregation that men and women respond to God’s
call to ordained ministry. Every local church should intentionally
nurture candidates for ordained ministry and provide spiritual
and financial support for their education, where practical, as
servant leaders for the ministry of the whole people of God.
5. In keeping with ancient Christian teaching and our Wesleyan tradition, we affirm that ordination for the same, or equivalent order, is not repeatable.
¶ 304. Qualifications for Ordination—1. Those whom the
Church ordains shall be conscious of God’s call to ordained ministry, and their call shall be acknowledged and authenticated by the
Church. God’s call has many manifestations, and the Church cannot structure a single test of authenticity. Nevertheless, the expe218